Index



(No Model.)

T. P. PATTISON.

INDEX.

No. 351,281. Patented Oct. 19, 1886.

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llNiTnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS P. FATTISON, OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURT.

INDEX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,281, dated 0ctober 19,1886.

Application filed January 30, 1886.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Tnonxs I. PATTISON, of St. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsinlndexes; and I do herebydeclare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in indexes for books; and it consists in an index consisting of horizontal rows of the different letters of the alphabet, which are arranged vertically one above the other, each row consisting of the same letter and extending entirely across the page,with a lined blank space, which is left above the letters, and upon which the numbers of the pages of the letter-book are to be placed.

The object of my invention is to produce an indexin which the letters can be indexed as rapidly as they are copied, and in which, instead of writing outthe full name of each person, only the last letter of the name and the initials are used, thus enabling a person to index the letters more rapidly, with less trouble and less liability to mistake, and at the same time enable the letters to any one person to be found more rapidly and easily than can be done by means of the indexes in general use.

Figure 1 is an edge view of acopyingbook, showing it closed. Fig. 2 is a plan View showing the book opened out and displaying the index. Fig. 8 is an edge view showing the letterbook and index opened, ready for use.

AB represent the two covers of the letterbook 0, which are now in common use, and D the third cover, which is connected to the edge of the cover B, as shown. lVhen the book is opened so as to show the index F, as shownin Fig. 2, all three covers, A B D, are opened out.

Instead of numbering the different pages of the letter-book C from the front toward the back, in the usual manner, they are here to have the letters copied in them, and to be nunr bered from the back toward the front, thus reversing the usual manner of indexing books.

The index F consists of a suitable number of pages,which are intended to be used upon one Serial No. 190,271. (No model.)

side only, and which have their edges cut so as to be indexed in the usual manner. Each page has a blank space, G, which is placed, preferably, at its top, and below th.s space are arranged rows of letters of the alphabet, in their regular order. Each row consists of a single letter, which extends entirely across the page. The index-alphabet, which is printed upon the outer edge of the leaves,will begin at the top with A and end at the bottom with Z, thus allowing sufficient space for larger letters than those which are used to form rows across the page, so that in turning to the different pages of the index any letter deslred can be found with ease and rapidity. As will be seen, every row of letters, whether extending horizontally across or vertically down the page, forms a complete alphabet, and these rows are divided by the vertical lines I into divisions or columns, and which correspond to the different vowels, as shown.

In indexing, instead of. having to write out the name of each person, only the last letter of the name and his initials are used. For in stance, a letter written to F. A. Lehmann: WVhen this letter is to be indexed, the person turns to that page of the index indicated by the letter L, and then turns to one of the letters in, the column over which the Vowel E is placed. The letter L of the page gives the first letter of the surname, the letter E gives the first vowel, and the letter N the last letter of the name. The initials F. A. are then placed under any one; but preferably the first letter, N, which has not been used, and then the number of the page upon which the letter is written is placed in the first space above that column in which the initials have been placed. In looking for this letter, directed to F. A. Lehmann, a person. turns to the page L, looks under the letter N in the vowel E column, and then runs his eyes up that particular vertical row of letters, and sees just what the number of the page is. If there should be a number of letters to this same person, the numbers of the pages are placed one above the other in the lined spaces of the blank portion G of the page. If a lettcr has been written to A. S. Anderson, the index is opened at the page A, which gives the first letter of the surname, and then the person turns to the letter N, which gives .the last letter of the name in the vowel E column, which gives the first vowel after the first letter of the surname. The initials A. S. are then written under one of the letters N in the vowel E column, which has not been used heretofore, and then the numher-0f the page upon which the letter is copied is placed above that vertical row of figures in which A. S. has been placed. Should a person have only a single Christian name, several letters of this Ohristian nam'e can be used, so as to distinguish the name atsight. Should a letter be written to a firm composed of two or more names, the letter is indexed under the first name, and then the initials of both parties may be writtenin the appropriate column. In copying, turn all the leaves which have already been copied back upon the cover 13. In turning the leaves of the index, those pages which are turned over are turned upon the top of those pages of the letter-book which are lying upon the cover B.

By means of an index such as here described the letters can be indexed as rapidly as they 25 are copied. There is no necessity of writing out the full name. The different letters are readily found, and much time and labor are saved in indexing the different letters.

Having thus described my invention, I 30 THOMAS P. PATTISON.

WVitnesses:

HARRY D. SAXTON, EMMET E. ENRIGHT. 

